


Empok Nor (revisited)

by TranscientNight



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Episode: s05e24 Empok Nor, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 03:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14275746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TranscientNight/pseuds/TranscientNight
Summary: Rather than xenophobic, the denizens of Empok Nor have been turned extremely paranoid by a virus. O'Brien and his team will need to put all their engineering creativity at play to survive the day, and maybe even rely on crucial help from Bashir, Julian Bashir.





	1. Intro sequence

**Author's Note:**

> I turned Amaro into a doctor (it'd make sense to bring one along if there are going to be booby-traps) and opted not to have all the episode-specific secondary character die. The main goal of this script was to:  
> 1\. have the engineers do engineering  
> 2\. preserve aspects of horror/suspense, but make them more ambient  
> 3\. add in some Garashir and some "Garak vs Miles"  
> 4\. be kinder to the secondary characters  
> 5\. Garak no longer is an expert in biochemistry innovation but he's still an ex-Obsidian Order agent
> 
> Note: The introduction is about identical to the one in the series, save for a few lines in Scenes 3 and 4, which are underlined in case you just want to skim through. The real changes start with the runabout travel, in next chapter ;)
> 
> ++ COMMENTS ARE WELCOME (as well as copy-pasting your favorite lines) ++

# Intro sequence

## Scene 1

_At Quark’s. It’s unusually quiet and desolated in the establishment. Morn is the only client, sitting at the counter while Quark desperately waits for more customers and his waiters are discussing to pass the time. The Ferengi bartender brightens up and hurries to greet Kira, Worf and Dax as they enter._

**Quark** : Welcome! Welcome!

 **Dax** : It’s a little quiet in here…

 **Quark** : Oh, it’ll just be the rush. _[He leads the trio to a table]_ Uh, let me get your order before… before I get swamped.

 **Dax** : I’ll have a Tolamian fry.

 **Kira** : I’ll have a- _[She’s interrupted by a loud drilling sound]_

_Quark freezes while the three others look where the sound is coming from._

**Worf** : What was that?

_Kira and Dax stare at Quark, waiting for the explanation as the sound starts longer, forcing him to speak louder to be heard._

**Quark** : What was what? _[The women clearly don’t believe he’s not hearing the sound, glancing again at where it comes from]_ Oh, that! That’s ah- _[the sound stops, allowing him to speak normally again]_ -just my nephew and Chief O’Brien repairing some conduit. You’ll get used to it.

_As the drilling starts again, Worf looks upset._

**Worf** : The Dehli’s still open.

 **Dax** : _[Agreeing to the suggestion]_ It would be quieter.

_They leave and Quark disappointedly cancels the order on his PADD. As Nog comes by from the conduit, his uncle hurries to talk to him and complain._

**Quark** : When are you two going to be done in there?

 **Nog** : _[Trying to be appeasing and professional]_ When the conduit is repaired and brought back to safety specs.

 **Quark** : Well hurry up, before I lose all my customers.

 **Nog** : I need to get something.

 **Quark** : What?

 **Nog** : _[Repressing a grin]_ Two root beers?

_Quark shakes his head but takes the order, soon interrupting himself as the drilling intensifies, causing him to groan in pain._

 

* * *

 

 

## Scene 2

 

_In the conduit, Chief O’Brien and Nog are working. O’Brien is laying down across the conduit to focus on the above section while Nog sits by his side, next to the tools. Nog puts down the drill the chief just stopped using._

**O’Brien** : Hyper spanner.

_Nog passes him the tool, waiting for him to be done using it to pass him the next tool._

**O’Brien** : Optronic coupler.

_Nog observes him and already prepares the phase decompiler._

**O’Brien** : How did you know I was going to ask for a phase decompiler?

 **Nog** : I was paying attention, sir.

 **O’Brien** : I bet you were, cadet.

 **Nog** : My father says I can learn a lot from you. He says you can fix anything.

 **O’Brien** : _[Reckoning]_ An engineer… that’s what we do. There. _[He stops and Nog eagerly lays down by his side to look at the work]_ Good as new!

 **Nog** : Amazing!

_Just as he says so, steam starts pouring from the conduit and down on them, causing them to cough._

 

* * *

 

 

 

## Scene 3

 

_In OP’s, Sisko and Odo are walking toward the captain’s office with Chief O’Brien explaining what happened._

**O’Brien** : We’ll repair the leak right away but the problem was worse than I thought. The entire plasma distribution manifold is shut.

 **Sisko** : Can you replicate a new one?

 **O’Brien** : No. Cardassian manifolds use a beta-metric compositor which can’t be replicated.

 **Odo** : _[Sarcastic]_ I can suppose we can contact Gul Dukat and ask him if he has any spare manifold systems laying around?

 **Sisko** : _[Smiling]_ I’m sure he’d jump on a chance to help us. Any other ideas?

 **O’Brien** : We could send a salvage team to the abandoned Cardassian station in the Trivas system.

 **Sisko** : Empok Nor?  Are we certain it’s abandoned? 

**Odo** :  It’s… not very usual for Cardassians to abandon a station. 

**O’Brien** : It’s the same design as this station. The Cardassians pulled out about  half a year ago, and it’s reported dead in space  , but there’s a good chance that the plasma manifold system is still operational.

 **Sisko** : What about Dominion activity in the area?

 **O’Brien** : There hasn’t been any for several months. Strategically, they seem to have lost interest in that sector.

 **Odo** : But there is one problem. It’s standard Cardassian procedure to booby-trap a facility before abandoning it, and a lot of the surprises they leave behind are specifically geared to attack non-Cardassians.

 **Sisko** : Sounds like you should take a Cardassian along.

 

* * *

 

## Scene 4

 

_Garak and Chief O’Brien are boarding on a runabout._

**O’Brien** : So what did Captain Sisko do to persuade you to come along?

 **Garak** : How did you know I didn’t volunteer?

 **O’Brien** : _[chuckles]_ He threatened you, didn’t he?

 **Garak** : Nothing so coarse. The Captain bribed me. He offered to help procure a larger space for my workshop. The ladies’ dress-making equipment is surprisingly bulky.

 **O’Brien** : Well, whatever he did, I’m glad you’re here.

_Garak stops to look at him with surprise and suspicion._

**O’Brien** : What’s the matter?

 **Garak** : Well, it’s that lately, I’ve noticed that everyone seems to trust me. It’s quite unnerving; I’m still trying to get used to it. Next thing I know, people are going to be inviting me to their homes for dinner.

 **O’Brien** : Well, if it makes you feel any better, I promise I will _never_ have you over.

 **Garak** : I appreciate that, Chief.

 **O’Brien** : Yeah, don’t mention it.

_They get into the cockpit, where Boq’ta, a male Bolian goldenshirt, is tapping some dashboard and overhears them talking._

**O’Brien** : Anything to return the favor: disarming Cardassian booby-traps is my least favorite kind of engineering.

_The Bolian shows concerns at that mention and walks away while Garak is still talking._

**Garak** : I can certainly understand that, but don’t worry, I have some experience in that area.

 _The Bolian joins his three other crewmates, all human: Pechetti (male) and Stolzoff (female) are engineers too, and_ _Amaro (male, standing closer to the door) is a_ **_medical_ ** _officer._

**Boq’ta** , to Pechetti: “Booby Traps?” I can’t believe I let you talk me into volunteering for this.

 **Pechetti** : Well, it’s that or working on the waste-extraction system. Besides, how often does an engineer get to wear a phaser?

 **Stolzoff** : ‘Hate to disappoint you, Pechetti, but the only thing you’re gonna be using that for? Shooting voles. Empok Nor has been quiet for so long… they’re gonna be hungry.

_They move inside the cockpit._

**Amaro** :  If one of them ends up biting you, I’ll be there to heal the wound. 

_Amaro stops as he hears someone else coming in: Nogs enters the runabout, carrying a large phaser rifle featuring a sniper visor._

**Amaro** : May I help you, cadet?

 **Nog** : I’m reporting for duty. Sir.

_Garak and O’Brien look at him, almost concerned. O’Brien gets amused._

**O’Brien** : Welcome aboard, cadet.

 **Nog** : Thank you, sir. And may I say: it’s a privilege to be here, sir.

 **O’Brien** : You’ve earned it. _[He raises a finger however]_ One more “sir” and I’ll leave you behind.

 **Nog** : Very well, s- _Chief_.

 **O’Brien** _nods_ : Let’s keep going. Next stop: Empok Nor.

 

* * *

 

## Opening credits


	2. Runabout Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irish and Cardassian grudges are real.

#  Runabout travel

##  Scene 1

_ Stolzoff is watching Nog and Pechetti playing kotra while O’Brien and Garak are reading. Nog is a bit nervous and defensively moves his tokens. _

**Stolzoff** : What are you doing?

**Nog** : Regrouping.

**Stolzoff** : But you’re losing!

**Nog** : That’s why I need to protect my assets.

**Stolzoff** : But that’s what got you into trouble in the first place!

**Pechetti** : Can you stop with the backseat driving? I’m winning!

**Stolzoff** : You’re the one who wanted to play a Cardassian game to get into the mood,and clearly, Nog isn’t getting the point. Garak said kotra is about bold strategy and decisive actions, not regrouping and protecting assets.

_ Nog grunts as Pechetti rolls the dice and moves his own tokens. _

**Pechetti** : Mister Garak, do you have any advice?

**Garak** ,  _ barely looking at the game _ : No, I’m sorry. Your cases are both a bit too desperate to fix by the time we arrive, and I have a book to read.

_ Stolzoff snickers at the boys’ dismayed faces. _

**Nog** : He’s right. This is useless.  _ [he turns to the Chief instead] _ Chief. You’ve fought against Cardassians before, maybe you would have better insights, wouldn’t you? You’re the hero of Setlik III after all.  _ [O’Brien grunts at that and shrugs] _

**Pechetti** : The hero of Setlik III?

**Nog** : You didn’t read those records? He led two dozen men against the Barrica encampment and took out an entire regiment of Cardassians!

**O’Brien** : Uh. That’s not relevant to our situation, I’d rather not talk about it.

**Garak** ,  _ eyes still locked on his PADD _ : A sane choice. Who would like to hear about the atrocities of war anyway?

**Pechetti** : Does that make you uncomfortable because you’re a Cardassian yourself?

**Garak** : That’s a probability, I suppose.

**Nog** : But it’s more about strategy. Chief-

**O’Brien** : This station is abandoned, there will be no fighting. I’m not a soldier anymore and I hope it stays that way.

**Stolzoff** ,  _ trying to lighten up the mood with humor _ : Except when you go in the holosuite with Doctor Bashir for hours at a time, re-enacting old battles of ancient Earth!

_ O’Brien chuckles but gets instantly interrupted by Garak who finally lifts his eyes from his PADD. _

**Garak** : True. Two smart men, indulging in violent, primitive combat… This can make one wonder why the both of you have this need for… what is it, actually?

**O’Brien** : Fun? You Cardassians don’t have a need for fun?

**Garak** : I suppose we have a different conception of fun… At least  _ I _ do.

_ Bot’qa comes in and hands a PADD to O’Brien who starts to read it. _

**Bot’qa** : Chief, here’s the wishlist you wanted. Three categories: must-have, which includes the manifolds and plasma recoilers. Could-use: things like IPS-metrics converters, and… would-be-nice: bypasser lasers, priority mass, that sort of things…

**O’Brien** ,  _ looking up at the Bolian _ : Cardassian emblems and insignia?

**Bot’qa** ,  _ clears his throat and looks at Pechetti _ : Well, it’s a low-priority, but if we happen to find some…

**_O’Brien’s_ ** _ gaze falls on Pechetti. _

**O’Brien** : I see… This is a salvage operation, Pechetti, not an opportunity to indulge your collecting obsession.  _ [He turns to Bot’qa, handing him the PADD back] _ And you, don’t encourage him.

**Bot’qa** ,  _ taking the back back _ : Right.  _ [He leaves] _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 2

_ Nog is driving. Garak finished his book and is hemming some cloth. O’Brien comes in the cockpit with a cup of coffee. _

**Nog** : Approaching Empok Nor, sir.

**O’Brien** ,  _ coming to sit by his side _ : Take us out of warp. Run a full scan. I’ll take the helm.

_ The other crewmates are coming in. _

**Nog** : The station’s main power supply and life support system are mostly offline.

**O’Brien** : Mostly?

**Nog** : It doesn’t look inhabited and I read no life signs. It might be to preserve the installations until the Cardassians come back.

**Garak** : Sounds likely enough. It’s a fine station, I don’t think my people would abandon it without a rea- _ (-son) _

**Nog** : Sir, we’re being hailed by the station.

**Garak** : It’s probably just an automated message. May I?

_ O’Brien nods and lets him answer the hail. A Cardassian voice comes through. _

**Voice** : You are approaching a facility of the Cardassian Union under protocole Four Nine Nine Seven Red Five.

**O’Brien** : What’s that?

**Garak** : I’m not sure.

**O’Brien** : You’re not sure?

**Garak** : I’m a tailor, not an encyclopedia of Cardassian military protocoles, Chief.

**Voice** ,  _ continues _ : ...All access to the station is denied. Turn around and leave at once.

_ Garak frowns, still trying to recall what he code is for. O’Brien is being more practical. _

**O’Brien** : Or what? Are there any weapons online?

**Nog** : No, sir.

**O’Brien** : I’ll take us to transporter range.

**Garak** : Oh, I don’t think we can risk beaming aboard. There are probably pattern scramblers rigged to go off if they detect a non-Cardassian transporter signal.

**O’Brien** : That could be messy. We’ll have to dock.  _ [He runs scans] _ Landing pads are sealed. We’ll have to try an upper pylon.

**Nog** : Won’t the airlocks have booby-traps?

**Garak** : You can count on it. And someone’s going to have to disarm them before we dock.

**Nog** : I volunteer, sir.

**Garak** : This scanner in the airlock might mistake your enthusiasm as Cardassian, but not your DNA. No, I’m afraid I’m the only one who has a chance of getting through.

_ There are no objections. Garak leaves to prepare himself while O’Brien takes the runabout closer to the upper pylon. _


	3. Arrival on Empok Nor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The station isn't so deserted after all, and Garak is never out of good lines.

#  Arrival on Empok Nor

##  Scene 1

_ Garak, in a space combination, comes into the station and turns on life support in this area. Light increases in various areas of the station, including the Promenade, on which splatters of dried blood can vaguely be seen on the ground. Two silhouettes  walk out of the darkness and look at each other. A close-up reveals two untidy Cardassians looking very puzzled as to who turned on the light. They grab knives, retreating to the darkness before darting away completely. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 2

_ O’Brien and his crew leave the runabout and set foot on the station. Garak removed the space combination and is waiting for them. _

**Garak** : Ah! Welcome to Empok Nor!

**O’Brien** : Thanks for having us.

**Garak** : Take whatever you need. My house is your house.

**O’Brien** ,  _ turning around to address his crew _ : Alright, listen up. We’re going to break up into three teams. Nog and Bot’qa, you’re with me. We’ll do the must-haves. Pechetti and Stolzoff, you do the could-use. Amaro and Garak: would-be-nice. Garak will disable the central security network. There could be booby-traps anywhere. Don’t move into an area until you’ve scanned it. If you see something that isn’t right, don’t touch it. Call for help. Alright, let’s go.

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 3

_ Pechetti and Stolzoff are walking in a corridor of the Habitat ring. _

_ O’Brien, Nog and Bot’qa are walking in a similar corridor and get to work. Nog looks around. _

**Bot’qa** : Did you see something?

**Nog** : I thought I heard someone walking. It must be the others.

**Bot’qa** ,  _ impressed _ : I didn’t hear anything. You Ferengi do have good ears.

**Nog** ,  _ frowning as if in slight pain _ : About that, can you keep your voice a bit lower.  _ [He mutters] _ Can’t wait to be out of here…

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 4

_ Garak and Amaro make their way out of an airlock and onto the Promenade. They take the stairs to the upper level when Garak puts his hand on a black stain on the stairs’ support pole. He reacts to the wet sensation at once. _

**Garak** ,  _ letting out a sound of disgust _ : What’s this?

_ He steps away to look at it and what his tricorder is reading. Doubt and slight worry washes over his face as Amaro approaches to analyze the finding too. _

**Amaro** : It’s-

**Garak** : Cardassian blood. And it’s fresh. And, no, it’s not mine.

_ They look at the stain on the pole. _

**Amaro** : Nog said there were no life signs on the station. If it’s not your blood, how do you explain this?

**Garak** : I don’t.

_ He moves away, the other follows him. _

**Amaro** : Where are you going?

**Garak** : To the infirmary, of course. If there’s blood, there’s a wound.

**Amaro** : Well, I sure wouldn’t mind being in a more familiar environment.

_ They enter the infirmary and find it ransacked. _

**Amaro** : This must be what DS9’s infirmary looked like just after the Withdrawal, right?

**Garak** : Possibly… I must admit I avoided this place for as long as I could. You see, I care greatly for my health.

_ He stops in front of the computer, finding its glassy surface fractured and stained with dried blood. _

**Garak** : Now that’s nasty…

_ Amaro approaches. A silhouette is moving in their back, and makes a noise while sneaking, causing Garak and Amaro to turn to him, drawing out their phasers. They try shooting but their weapons appear to be offline and the Cardassian runs away. Garak and Amaro look at each other, sullen and tense. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 5

_ O’Brien is working with Nog, Bot’qa is working alone a bit further away. The Chief spreads a hand, waiting for a tool. _

**_O’Brien_ ** _ : Coil spanner. _

_ Nogs hands it. Soon after, O’Brien requires another tool. _

**O’Brien** : Flux coupler.  _ [Nogs gets embarrassed as he realizes the demanded tool is missing. O’Brien reiterates his request]  _ Flux coupler.

**Nog** : I left it on the runabout. I’ll go get it right away, sir! I mean, Chief.

_ He leaves. O’Brien sighs. His combadge rings: it’s Garak. _

**Garak** : Garak to O’Brien?

**O’Brien** : Go ahead.

**Garak** : It would appear we’re not as alone as we thought and all weapons are currently disabled. Don’t count on a phaser to defend yourself.

**O’Brien** : What?

_ Meanwhile, Nog is walking in the corridors of the Habitat ring to return to the upper pylon. He stops as he hears noise and pulls out his rifle, progressing more cautiously. Suddenly a vole runs by, carrying something long in its mouth. Nog startled, tries to fire at it to no avail, and kicks it as it gets close to his feet, causing the animal to drop the item to better escape. _

**Nog** : Voles…  _ [He picks what appears to be a rib] _ Where did that come from?

_ He shakes his head and continues. _

_ Upon nearing the airlock he stops, hearing distinct voices this time. Three famished Cardassians are in the runabout, trafficking the replicator, seemingly hungry but worried it might produce poisoned food. Nog looks at the bone he’s holding with horror and runs away, hitting his combadge and hissing repeatedly for the Chief to answer. _


	4. First offensive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the Cardassians; a little more action and a little more discussion.

#  First offensive

##  Scene 1

_ The whole team is gathered in the infirmary. O’Brien is massaging his temples. _

**Boq’ta** : The replicators aren’t functioning. If there are people living here indeed, do you think they really would…

**Stolzoff** : Eat each other? Such things have been known to happen.

**Pechetti** : If that’s the case, that could explain why they’d jam the sensor to prevent life detection and disable weapons. If someone else thinks I’d make a good meal, I’d rather not give them an easy time finding me and killing me.

**Nog** ,  _ wincing _ : Do you have to be talking so loudly?

**Pechetti** : Are you afraid they’ll hear us?

**Nog** : No, it’s just that… everything sounds so loud.  _ [He touches his ear, wincing some more while Amaro pulls out his tricorder to examine him] _ It must be all that drilling the other day.

**Amaro** : I’m not reading sign of damage in the internal ear.

**Nog** _hisses at the tricorder_ : Take that thing away, then.

_ Amaro complies. Garak suddenly brightens up from his own musing. _

**Garak** : Oh! That’s it. I remember now.

**O’Brien** : What?

**Garak** : The protocol. Four Nine Nine Seven Red Five.

**O’Brien** : So, what does it mean?

**Garak** : This protocol means the station was abandoned due to an infectious disease for which no cure exists. The good news is that it probably won’t affect you, because you’re not Cardassians. The bad news is… if I get infected, I’m probably going to die…  _ [He looks at the hand that was stained by blood before] _ And I may already be infected…

**O’Brien** : Then that’s all the more reason to get our job here done as soon as possible. If there’s one person who can cure incurable diseases, it’s Julian, but he’s not here. We don’t know how many Cardassians are out there so we have to be careful. First, we need to secure the runabout – I don’t want to see them running away with it. Amaro and Garak will come with me while you four keep on with the must-haves. Always stay in pair, one working, one watching out.

 

* * *

 

##  Scene 2

_ O’Brien, Garak and Amaro are in the turbolift, to reach the top of the upper pylon. Amaro is preparing a hypo. _

**Amaro** : We may not be able to stun them why phasers, but this should do the trick if we can get close enough.

_ Garak snoops over his shoulder and snorts. _

**Garak** : Not with such a low dosage, I’m afraid.  _ [He reaches and drastically increases the dosage] _ Now that’s more appropriate.

**Amaro** :  _ This _ much?

**Garak** : Well, actually, that’s assuming they’re starved.

**Amaro** : That makes only two shots.

**O’Brien** : And we’re three. We can manage this.

_ They sneak to the runabout’s door and open it carefully. The Cardassians inside, Mekal, Kejar and Semak, don’t seem to have heard the noise and are arguing while eating. _

**Mekal** : We can’t leave the others behind, not alive anyway.

**Kejar** : We could deactivate the sensor jamming and rig the transporters to locate all life patterns and scramble them like Teram did with the alien workers.

**Semak** : You’re both right, but that’s too dangerous. This vessel has weapons and the station is defenseless. Let’s just destroy it.

**Mekal** : With  _ phasers!? _ That’ll take an eternity!

**Kejar** : Have you two lost it completely!? This would be an act of treason against Cardassia!

**Semak** : Treason!?  _ She _ abandoned us here! We were betrayed in the first place!

**Kejar** : Gul Durad betrayed us, not Cardassia! It’s a conspiracy of the Obsidian Order to turn us against Central Command, don’t you see!?

**Mekal** : The Obsidian Order is dead, Kejar!

**Kejar** : That’s what they want you to believe, but I know it’s a lie. You’re with them, aren’t you? You both, you were with them all along!

_ Kejar assaults the others and they start to fight. _

**O’Brien** : Let’s go!

_ They meddle in the fight, hypospraying Kejar and Semak. Garak wrestles Mekal into control and knocks him out with ease as he took a knife slash and is too malnourished to oppose real resistance. Amaro draws his tricorder while O’Brien gets to the dashboard. He seems tired and massages his temples again. _

**Amaro** : Garak was right. They are sick. Some kind of virus maybe. I could probably figure out more if we could take one of them to the infirmary.

**O’Brien** : Yeah, you do that. I guess you should replicate anything you’ll need before you go, including some ...ah, pairs of shackles. I’m going to send the runabout on a little tour in space for a few hours, but I’m not letting those guys with their hands free, not even asleep.

**Garak** : A sane idea…

**Amaro** : Garak, you’d help me carry this one? Maybe we can figure out what’s up after all.

**Garak** ,  _ suspicious _ : That’s most elegant of you.

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 3

_ Nog is pacing nervously around the room where Boq’ta is working on dismantling a manifold. _

**Boq’ta** : You really don’t want to talk?

_ Nog hisses at him. _

**Nog** : Do you have any idea how loud your voice is to me?

**Boq’ta** : I don’t mean this badly, but you don’t look okay, Nog…

_ He grabs a coil spanner and Nog glares at him. _

**Nog** : Don’t. Use. This one.

**Boq’ta** : Why? I need to…

_ He turns it on to check it’s working properly and Nogs lets out a groan of pain as he runs away. The Bolian gets up, surprised and somewhat scared. _

**Boq’ta** : Nog? Nog! Come back! Don’t leave me alone!

_ He runs after him but trips over a ridge of the floor. As he tries to get up, a Cardassian wrestles him into control and picks his combadge. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 4

_ Pechetti and Stolzoff are together, with Pechetti working to extract a plasma recoiler and Stolzoff watching his back. Pechetti is nervous as Stolzoff’s rifle is pointing at him, although only providing him with light. _

**Pechetti** : Right now, I’m glad that thing’s offline.

**Stolzoff** : Are you worried I’d shoot you by mistake?

**Pechetti** : Accidents happen.

**Stolzoff** : If that reassures you, setting’s on stun.

**Pechetti** : Knowing that makes this entire situation feel a lot better. As if I didn’t have enough of a headache already…

**Stolzoff** : Well, you’re not the only one with a headache. Must be the air or something…  _ [She interrupts herself to look further away] _ I think I heard something.

_ She approaches the source of the noise to take a look. She finds the panel of a conduit poorly adjusted – it falls when she nears it, making her startle. She carefully inspects the conduit, which appears empty, but as she looks around, she sees feet behind a pile of barrels. She signs at Pechetti to be silent and on his guard as she tries to circle around the person who ends up assaulting her with a metal bar. Stolzoff avoids a blow and flashes her weapon at him in reflect, blinding him with the light and efficiently repelling him into fleet. Pechetti joins her. _

**Pechetti** : I heard that Cardassians don’t like bright light, but to that point?

**Stolzoff** : That was strange…

_ O’Brien comes in from behind, startling them both as he calls them. _

**O’Brien** : How’s it going, you two?

_ They turn around. _

**Stolzoff** : You just missed one of the Cardassians, Chief.

**Pechetti** : Did it go well for you with the runabout?

**O’Brien** : Fine. You?

**Pechetti** : We got that manifold and I’m almost done with the plasma recoiler.

**O’Brien** : Good. Keep on with that and be careful.  _ [He turns away, tapping his combadge] _ Nog. How’s it going with the job. ...Nog?

_ Nog takes a while to answer, embarrassedly. _

**Nog** : Chief… Yeah, about the job… Boq’ta almost removed a manifold but ah… I don’t know where he’s gone.

**O’Brien** : He left?

**Nog** : Actually, I did. He was being so noisy, I needed a break!

**O’Brien** : You left him!? Alright, get down here, cadet,  _ now _ .  _ [He grunts, tapping his badge to end the communication and take a pause before hitting it again] _ O’Brien to Boq’ta.

_ An unknown male voice answer, deep, calm and charismatic. It’s Uvak, a Cardassian. _

**Uvak** : Chief O’Brien… What a pleasure. I am Glinn Liras Uvak.

**O’Brien** : What have you done to my officer?

**Uvak** : Curious, are you? Good, good… curiosity is most valuable.

**O’Brien** ,  _ annoyed _ : What have you done with my officer, Uvak?

**Uvak** : Nothing. He’s fine, and I assure you he’ll stay so. All I ask is a place on your vessel when you leave this station. That’s quite reasonable, I believe?

**O’Brien** : Yes… more than the way you bargain for it. Couldn’t you just ask?

**Uvak** : Hahaha, Chief, you truly are a beacon of Federation innocence! Had I not taken your underling as hostage, you could have refused or considered betraying me. I hope you won’t forget to chime me for departure when you leave. I am certain you wouldn’t want to leave me here, comfort-eating Mister Boq’ta. I’ll be waiting.

_ The conversation ends, leaving the Chief and the others somewhat horrified. _


	5. Second offensive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garak has opinions about Starfleet Medical's shades of grey.

#  Second offensive

##  Scene 1

_ Amaro and Garak are in the infirmary. Mekal is bound to the examination table and seemingly unconscious. Amaro is taking blood samples from him and monitoring his condition while Garak investigates the computers. _

**Garak** : It would appear that the previous medical team here identified the virus, but someone thought it best to delete those files. Maybe I shouldn’t have restored them…

**Amaro** ,  _ waltzing to take a look _ : Why not? We need all the information we can get. According to their research, the virus is airborne. Maybe they locked out this facility to avoid contagion. With all this data, I believe we’re already much closer to a cure.

**Garak** : Cure is such an elegant word, don’t you think? So positive, when it is just a synonym for murder.

**Amaro** : What do you mean?

**Garak** : You  _ Starfleet doctors _ , you don’t care about who it is you’re trying to save, but I care to know  _ what _ it is you’re trying to cure. You are ...shifty creatures, not to be underestimated. Your Hippocratic oath is more alike to an hypocritical oath, isn’t it? You’re sworn to protect life, but you destroy it everyday, favoring sentient beings over microbes. You draw the lines that suit your ethics, but ethics too can be changed…

**Amaro** : Garak, calm down… You are contaminated, it’s the virus that’s making you paranoid. I’m here to help.

**Garak** : Help? Of course you’re here to help. To help the Federation. You owe me nothing. I have no status in the eyes of the Federation. I’m your enemy.

**Amaro** : We came here together because we are allies, Garak.

_ Garak grabs a tool with a sharp end and stabs Amaro. _

**Garak** : We  _ were _ allies-  _ [he looks at him collapsing in pain, looks at the blood on the tool, confused] _ ...for a moment.

_ He flips out a bit, and throws his combadge and runs away, leaving Amaro in pain. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 2

_ O’Brien, Nog, Stolzoff and Pechetti arrive at the infirmary. _

**O’Brien** : We secured two manifolds and a plasma rec-  _ [he interrupts himself as he realizes Amaro is healing himself and Garak’s not there] _ What happened to you? Where’s Garak?

**Amaro** : He’s contaminated. The virus makes Cardassians paranoid and phobic to light as it would seem.

_ In the background, Nog tries stuffing things in his ears to dampen the sounds. _

**Pechetti** : If kotra is representative of their military philosophy, they must have turned against each other.

**Stolzoff** : Attack is the best defense, or something.

**Amaro** : I’d rather we leave now that we have what we need, but how do we get Garak back?

**O’Brien** : Actually, we don’t have everything on the list yet, and it’s not just Garak. Bot’qa got captured by one of those lunatics. He says he’ll eat him if we don’t take him along, and I don’t trust he’ll be so tame.

**Amaro** : I wouldn’t recommend eating a Bolian either; their insides are quite corrosive.

**O’Brien** : I’m not sure telling him that will convince him to release Bot’qa… And I’ve got a feeling Garak isn’t going to be easy to deal with either.

_ Nog turns back to them, ear holes stuffed with some sort of cotton foam. Amaro frowns and holds his tricorder again to sound him, then proceeds to sound everybody. _

**Nog** : Maybe we should focus on Bot’qa. Garak is a Cardassian after all… maybe he’d be happier here.

**O’Brien** : I’d rather not do that.

**Amaro** : Chief, I’d like to contact Doctor Bashir back on DS9. He has more insight on Cardassian physiology than I do. I think trying to find a cure for Garak and Nog is all I can do.

**Nog** : Me?

**Amaro** : Your misophonia must be a symptom of the virus. We’ve all been infected as soon as we started breathing the air of this station, but our human bodies don’t seem too hospitable for the virus. It only caused some headache before being destroyed by our immune system.

**O’Brien** : Alright, you do that. Nog and Pechetti, you stay here and you secure this area. Make it as Cardassian-proof as possible. We still have about two hours left before the runabout comes back. Stolzoff and I will finish Bot’qa’s work and see if we can clear the scrambling patterns from the transporter program to beam him out of trouble.

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 3

_ Pechetti and Nog (whose ears are still stuffed) are working to protect the infirmary, complaining about having to do it without forcefields, while Amaro is talking with Bashir. _

**Bashir** : Comparing the data you found with the samples you collected, this virus seems to have mutated a lot over just a few months.

**Amaro** : If we can find what enzymes were targeted by the human immunitary system, that might give us a clue.

**Bashir** : I’d run a simulation from here, but for some reason  _ someone _ locked the Cardassian bio-medical data I have under a lock I can’t bypass.

**Amaro** : Who would do that?

**Bashir** : A paranoid Cardassian too loyal to Cardassia for his own sake.

**Amaro** ,  _ joking _ : So, a normal Cardassian.

**Bashir** ,  _ slightly upset _ : I’d even say a plain, simple idiot.  _ [He interrupts himself] _ There might be another approach to this problem. The molecular structure of this virus appears to be very unstable. If we could destabilize it further, that might fry it.

**Amaro** : Fry it? With radiations?

**Pechetti** : What sort of radiations?

**Bashir** : Tachyon could be set to affect the virus without causing more damage to the bodies.

**Nog** ,  _ to Pechetti _ : Can we do this?

**Pechetti** : I suppose we could use the emitter array and channel the beam all through the station. It should still be functional, and if we’re lucky, we won’t even create a quantum singularity.

**Nog** : You’re joking.

**Pechetti** : Only half. This universe is  _ mad _ . I mean, it should be safe.

**Amaro** : Let’s do this then. Engineering and medicine aren’t so unalike after all, fixing machines or living organism is  _ almost _ the same thing.

**Pechetti** : Maybe we should test this theory before we put it to practice on the entire station.

**Nog** : On whom?

_ Amaro looks at the Cardassian moving in his sleep. _

**Amaro** : Considering we’re worried about Garak, let’s see if we can ...help this one gentleman…

**Pechetti** : If we’re going to try that here, we’ll need to redirect the particle emitter to access the energy. I can rig the hardware here to receive them, but the emitter must be channeled manually-

**Nog** : I volunteer, sir!

_ Pechetti and Amaro look at each other. _

**Pechetti** : Then, by all means, do, cadet.


	6. Final Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Starfleet diplomacy thing and Bashir, Julian Bashir.

#  Final act

##  Scene 1

_ In a conduit, Nog (whose ears are still stuffed) ends rerouting the tachyon energy. He hits his combadge. _

**Nog** : Nog to Pechetti and Chief O’Brien, I’m done with my task.

**Pechetti** : Good job, cadet, we’ll start the tests right away here. Pechetti out.

**Nog** : Chief, is there something else I can help you with?

**O’Brien** : If your ears are doing better, you can head our way.

_ Nog removes the cotton foam with hesitation, listening to his tool, then discards the foam and nods positively. _

**Nog** : On my way, sir- Chief.

_ He crawls away and gets out of the conduit. Walking in the corridors of the Habitat ring, he spots someone alone further away and retreats to hide in a room. There he sees remains of some dead Cardassians displayed on the ground as if some funeral rite had been observed. He gasps and soon screams when he’s caught by a Cardassian. _

**Cardassian** : You filthy little alien! What are you doing here!? You’re not supposed to see this!

_ As they wrestle, the door of the room opens and Garak comes in, efficiently knocking out the Cardassian. Nog is surprised although slightly relieved but also uneasy. _

**Nog** : Garak! Th… thank you, he…

_ He glances back at the bones, which are exposed to his rifle’s torchlight, giving Garak an opportunity to grab the rifle. _

**Garak** : Divert your eyes at once. This isn’t for you to see, Nog.

_ He drags a very puzzled Nog out to another room. _

**Nog** : W-wait, what’s going on? We have to get back to Chief O’Brien…

_ He turns worried as Garak locks the door, pins him on a chair and takes his combadge. _

**Nog** : Garak…

**Garak** : I’d rather not use violence against you, Nog. You are a possibly the most civilized Ferengi that came to exist, and you understand order and duty, which is ...quite admirable, really. You have pledged loyalty to the Federation, but tell me, if Ferenginar were at stake, wouldn’t you be concerned?

**Nog** : Of course. What does it have to do with anything?

**Garak** : Sentiment. Bonding. Understanding… You see, I too have a liking for the Federation, but I love Cardassia, and this is why I cannot let this happen.

**Nog** : Let what happen?

**Garak** : This virus. Amaro isn’t trying to find a cure. He’s trying to find a way to turn it into a biogenic weapon to destroy my people.

**Nog** : What!? Never! The Federation would never do such a thing!

**Garak** : The brighter the light, the greater the shadow, Nog. Do you really think all the Federation does is clean? Oh, no… I know far too well that you cannot maintain such power and peace without a dark cost. Plotting, scheming, assassination, genocide… At least, we, Cardassians are upfront about what we’re up to. We don’t deceive others into thinking we are above such methods…  _ [He sits in the chair in front of Nog and stares at him with the eyes of the Obsidian Order interrogator he was] _ Now. Tell me what they’re up to.

**Nog** : Garak, they’re not-

_ He silences  as Garak just stares at him, patient. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 2

_ In another room of the Habitat ring, Boq’ta is sitting on the floor with his hand lifted where Uvak can see them. The Cardassian is more comfortable, sitting on an armchair, a knife at hand. Bot’qa’s tools are displayed further away. _

**Boq’ta** : Maybe my crewmates were taken too… Are there many of you left?

**Uvak** : Why do you ask? Are you planning to hunt?

**Boq’ta** : I- I mean, maybe we could try to get out of here and see if the runabout’s still there. Escape. It’s not very proactive to stay hidden in here…

**Uvak** : I didn’t take you for the brave kind.

**_Boq’ta_ ** _ laughs nervously, dropping his hands a little. _

**Boq’ta** : I guess that would be right. I didn’t take you for the coward kind either, and honestly, I don’t think I’m edible.

**Uvak** : You do look poisonous, but we are immune to a large number of poisons.

**Boq’ta** : It’s not poison, it’s more ...acid. The sort that can corrode metal. It would be a pity for you to die eating me while so close to freedom.

**Uvak** : Yes, there is sense in those words, but I don’t trust-.

_ Bot’qa suddenly springs up and runs for his welding tool, directing it at Uvak as he turns it on. It emits a vivid, blinding light at the top, which prevents Uvak from looking at him. The Cardassian winces in pain and backs off. Bot’qa gets his combadge back, forces the other to retreat in the closet, which he locks and welds close – it won’t hold forever but it gives him the time to run away, hitting his combadge. _

**Bot’qa** : Bot’qa to all! I escaped! Chief, where are you?!

**O’Brien** : Thank goodness, you’re still alive! Join Amaro and Pechetti in the infirmary, or me and Stolzoff in section Delta of the Habitat ring, whichever is closest to you. The runabout should get back in half an hour. Oh, and we need to find Garak too. Julian gets broody if he doesn’t get to have deep conversations over lunch.

_ In the room with Nog, Garak is listening from Nog’s combadge. He pins it on his chest. _

**Garak** : Well, well. That was very touching but-

_ The door opens but nobody comes in. Garak squints at it and Nog takes that opportunity to flee, getting pursued by a famished Cardassian armed with a makeshift lance. _

**Garak** : Enjoy your meal if you can catch it…

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 3

_ O’Brien and Stolzoff are in a corridor of the station, trafficking circuitry, when Nog arrives, running. The Ferengi stops, panting. _

**Stolzoff** : Are you alright, cadet?

**_Nog_ ** _ nods, still taking his breath but straightening up, and O’Brien looks at his chest where no combadge is to be seen. _

**Nog** , taking his breath: I just had to… outrun a Cardassian.

**O’Brien** : Where’s your combadge, Nog?

**Nog** : With Garak, si-  _ [he catches himself and shakes his head to come to point] _ Chief, we have a problem with Garak. He’s persuaded we’re trying to find a way to extinct his entire species.

**O’Brien** : What?

**Nog** : It’s the disease. He’s up to something, but I don’t know what-

_ He’s interrupted as the station computer speaks. _

**Computer** : Self-destruction sequence engaged. Time to self-destruct: twenty minutes.

**O’Brien** : Well, I guess we’ve got an idea of what he’s up to now.

**Stolzoff** : The runabout won’t be back before this…

**O’Brien** : So we’d better stop this insanity. Computer! Detail self-destruct protocol.

**Computer** : Identification required.

**O’Brien** : This is a priority one override. Clearance level nine. Authorization: Dukat, five one one six green.

**Computer** : Clearance code is invalid.

**O’Brien** : That was to be expected… I guess we’ll have to look into it ourselves, then.

_ O’Brien’s combadge beeps; it’s Pechetti. _

**Pechetti** : Pechetti to O’Brien.

**O’Brien** : Tell me you’ve got a way to halt that sequence, Pechetti.

**Pechetti** : Not quite, but Amaro thinks he’s close to a cure, one that would work at larger scale.

_ Amaro joins in the conversation. _

**Amaro** : Amaro to O’Brien. I think I can cure all those Cardassians at once, but we need two things: to reconfigure the array following my specifications-

**Nog** : I volunteer!

**Stolzoff** : Wait, you can’t go like that, take this.  _ [she gives him her combadge] _

**O’Brien** : And the second thing?

**Amaro** : We need time.

**O’Brien** : Time’s everything we don’t have right now, Amaro.

**Stolzoff** : Maybe we should do that Starfleet diplomacy thing, Chief?

**O’Brien** : With Garak!?

**Stolzoff** : Have we got anything to lose not trying? The self-destruct is already engaged.

_ O’Brien isn’t too enthusiastic about it, but she has a point. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 4

_ Garak is in a conduit, from which he has been hacking through the systems and started the self-destruct sequence, using Nog’s tools. He’s sitting against the wall, grimly waiting and mumbling to himself a Cardassian chant for the dead. _

**Garak** : ...Under a mantle of earth, rest untroubled and unforgotten. Away from sight, close to the heart, I’ll always remember you, my dead, my dears. Enabran… Tolan… Barkan… ...Palan-

_ He’s interrupted by the combadge, beeping. It’s O’Brien. _

**O’Brien** : Garak, we need to talk.

**Garak** : You truly have no respect, do you?

**O’Brien** : I’m sorry, Garak, but listen. We need to-

**Garak** : Chief. We’ll soon be dead. All of us. Don’t take it personally, but I’d rather not spend my final moments speaking with you.

**O’Brien** : Good, because neither do I. However, there is someone else who’d like to talk to you.

**Garak** : What?

**O’Brien** : Amaro, put it through.

_ To Garak’s surprise, Bashir’s voice echoes through his combadge. _

**Bashir** : Hello, Mister Garak.

**Garak** : Doctor…

**Bashir** : Yes. Bashir to Amaro, make the com channel confidential. I’ll speak with Garak alone.

**Amaro** : Your orders, sir. Amaro out.

_ There is a silence. _

**Garak** : So what is it, Doctor? Have you come for my shri-tal? I’ll have to disappoint, I’m afraid.

**Bashir** : For all the appeal your secrets hold, maybe I’ve come for your last lies, Garak.

**Garak** : You would know something about lies, would you not?

**Bashir** : I guess so… But did you need the truth to begin with? You could notice the clues, couldn’t you?

**Garak** : Scattered like crumbs over the table, oh, yes… I underestimated you, Doctor. Not for the reason you think however.

**Bashir** : Yes… I had noticed that my ‘Human of Starfleet’ nature hadn’t prevented our friendship.

_ Garak chuckles. _

**Garak** : But there was no friendship. Only deceit. What else could there be? I let sentiment get in the way of my duty, and once more, I let myself be betrayed by ...an opportunity. The opportunity that you were to me.

**Bashir** : Wait. Betrayed? Garak, I never- If you mean that time when I shot you-

**Garak** : Oh, but my dear Doctor, you shot me way before that day. You’re no healer. You’re a murder. You infected me, corrupted me, invaded me ...with your ideals. But I can see everything clearly now, and it’s over.

**Computer** : Time to self-destruct: five minutes.

**Bashir** : Alright, Garak. Let’s say you win this one. You destroy the station, you destroy the disease, then what? You don’t think I won’t come up with something else? And anyway, I already have all the data I need to replicate this virus.

_ Garak freezes. _

**Garak** : What?

_ Bashir pulls off an evil mad scientist play. _

**Bashir** : Yes. We knew the station wasn’t abandoned but quarantined – Cardassians never would do such a thing, would they? So we set this mission, and I must say you played your part very nicely.

_ Garak gets up onto his feet rageously. _

**Garak** : So that was your plan from the beginning.

**Bashir** : And now, you even do me the courtesy of offing yourself. Nobody will be capable of stopping me, and I can enjoy myself even more with the knowledge that you’ll die knowing this.

**Garak** : And what of the Chief? I’m taking him down with me. Your holosuite games won’t really be the same ever again, will they?

**Bashir** : Oh, my dear Mister Garak… Do you really think you are the only one I fooled with sentiment? Have you never killed one of your friends to better fulfill your duty to the State? I’ll miss Miles, yes, but it won’t stop me from carrying out my plans. Satisfaction is its own reward… As you can see, it would seems that, in the end, I’m a better Cardassian than you are. And the best is… that this is your own doing, Garak. You made me into this. You taught me all this.

_ Garak writhes in frustration and despair. _

**Computer** : Time to self-destruct: one minute.

**Bashir** : Nothing can stop me now. I’ll miss you too, Mister Garak.

_ In DS9’s infirmary, Bashir ends the call and braces himself, clearly hoping that his play had the desired effect. _

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 5

_ On Empok Nor, Garak hurries to try and halt the self-destruct sequence. _

**Computer** : Self-destruct sequence engaged in: nine, eight, seven…

 

_ In the infirmary, O’Brien, Amaro, Pechetti, Stolzoff and Bot’qa are working, waiting for Nog’s recalibrations to be over. Amaro taps his combadge to contact Nog while the computer continues the countdown. _

**Computer** : six, five, four…

**Amaro** : Nog, it’s now or never.

_ Behind him, Bot’qa shakes his head in defeat. _

 

_ Elsewhere, Nog is still trafficking the emitter array. _

**Nog** : I’m doing my best!

**Computer** : three, two, one… Self-destruction sequence: engaged.

_ Nog squeals a little to himself in fear and nervosity. _

_ In the infirmary everybody is just as nervous. _

**O’Brien** : Go on! Go on! It can still be aborted before the damage to the station are beyond repair!

**Pechetti** : Chief! I’ve got contact with the runabout! Forget Garak, I can beam us out of here!

**Stolzoff** : Are you sure there aren’t pattern scramblers left?

_ O’Brien hesitates. _

**O’Brien** : Alright. But beam the manifolds and recoilers first, Pechetti. It’s what we came here for, and DS9 needs them more than it needs us.

_ Pechetti nods and sets to do just that. O’Brien is rather uneasy. The station starts to vibrate. _

**O’Brien** : Hold on… Hold on some more, damnit…

**Bot’qa** : We’re all going to die!

**Computer** : Self-destruct sequence aborted.

 

_ In his spot, Garak straightens up from from the circuits, relieved. He hits Nog’s combadge to contact O’Brien. _

**Garak** : Garak to O’Brien. Chief, I changed my mind. After all, I’m not the suicidal type.

_ In the infirmary, O’Brien is still a bit stressed from what just happened. _

**O’Brien** : Thank you, that’s appreciated. Are you coming our way?

**Garak** : Yes. I believe I can find you.  _ [he hits his combadge and takes a tool with sharp, pointy spikes, which he feels as to evaluate the worth of his weapon] _ I’m not the suicidal type, but I’m capable of being the murderous type…  _ [he leaves] _ No more holosuite sessions for you, Mister O’Brien… The game isn’t over yet for us both, Doctor Bashir… Julian Bashir.

 

* * *

 

 

##  Scene 6

_ In the infirmary, Pechetti and Bot’qa are finishing to beam the harvest away while Amaro, O’Brien and Stolzoff prepare to start the tachyon sweep. _

**O’Brien** : Are we ready now, Amaro?

**Amaro** : I think so… it’s time to get rid of this virus.

_ He’s interrupted as Garak sneaks in. O’Brien is wary of him. _

**O’Brien** : Ah, Garak… You…

_ He silences. Garak is calculating the way he’s about to kill everybody. _ Bot’qa, who is closest tries to move away, triggering his aggression. Pechetti tries to defend his friend but Garak easily sends him tumbling down the floor. Stolzoff too tries to make opposition, trying to use a chair to push Garak away, but he deflects her with as much ease and goes for O’Brien. The Chief takes a fighting stance.

**O’Brien** : Do it, Amaro!

_ Amaro presses a button and the station’s emitter array starts the sweep. In the room where Bot’qa was detained, Uvak manages to break out of the closet , only to be swept by the radiation, causing him to collapse and writhe on the floor. _

_ In the infirmary, Garak hurries to attack O’Brien and they fight. Eventually, Garak gets the upper hand and stabs the Chief twice while Pechetti and Stolzoff try to separate them, and Amaro searches for medical tools. The tachyon sweep passes through the room and both Garak and the unconscious Cardassian start shivering and convulsing. Garak falls down his knees, held by Pechetti, and lets go off his tool, which Bot’qa collects while Stolzoff pulls O’Brien towards Amaro. As the tension decreases, Bot’qa looks around at everybody. _

**Bot’qa** : That treatment was a bit scary… We should go check on Nog.  _ [he beats his combadge] _ Nog? Are you still with us? Are you okay, Nog?

_ In his spot, Nog is dizzied but looks happy and chuckles. _

**Nog** : Couldn’t be better…

 

* * *

 

 

##  Conclusion

_ In DS9’s infirmary, Bashir is tending to Garak. _

**Garak** : You must take me for a fool…

**Bashir** : And why would that be, Garak?

**Garak** : I fell for your act, Doctor.

**Bashir** : Ah… Saving the day by destroying the world, again.

_ Garak doesn’t answer. _

**Bashir** : I’m glad you made that choice again, Garak. The choice to live.

**Garak** : Did I? Those Cardassians we left behind on this forsaken station…

**Bashir** : They are cured and free to contact Central Command to lift the quarantine…

**Garak** : Oh, don’t pull the naive act. We aren’t a forgiving people. They allowed  _ your _ people to steal from us.  _ [he shakes his head] _ It doesn’t matter to Starfleet that those fine men will literally have to go on without their lives, but it’s convenient to walk away from them, thinking whatever happens to them is not your responsibility. And I walked away too.

**Bashir** : You were hardly lucid.

**Garak** : Doesn’t matter!

**Bashir** : You know, Garak… If there’s a thing I’ve noticed about you, Cardassians, it’s that you’re a passionate people. You said you let sentiment get in the way of your duty, but I think that, if there were no sentiment, there would be no duty.

**Garak** : Somehow, your words don’t sound as charming to me as they did before. I think it’s time I became a Cardassian again, and let you be a Human.

_ He gets up and heads for the door. _

**Bashir** : Garak, wait! We can talk this out!

**Garak** : Oh, I’m certain of it, Doctor, but not this time.

_ Bashir is defeated but tries to let it sink. _

**Bashir** : Should you change your mind… I’m always here for you.

**Garak** : Of course.

_ He nods and leaves. Bashir leans against the bed, a bit shaken. _

_ Final shot of the station, slowly rotating in space. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that trope of the damsel in distress? I rather quite hate it. Bot'qa may not be a damsel, but he's Starfleet and I sure wanted him to escape on his own.  
> I kept the gay-ness as subtext for the sake of "everybody is free to have their own interpretation of those lines" and I set a bitter ending to connect with the low mood of the Garak/Bashir dynamic in this season and the next ones. (I hate that it happened and the reasons why it happened, but correcting that wasn't the goal of this fic)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this all anyway. Please consider leaving a comment!


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